Recipe #21 BBQ Pork Loin

Ordering the meat:
For double loins of pork, ask the butcher for centre cut loins of pork tied together.

Preparing the Herb Marinate:

Per pound of pork
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp ground thyme or sage
1/8 tsp ground bay leaf
Pinch of allspice
Optional: 1/2 clove of mashed garlic

Mix all ingredients together and rub them into the surface of the pork. Place in a a covered dish. Turn the meat 2 or 3 times. Marinate for about 6 hours

Brush off excess spices with a paper towel. Add olive oil. Slide the pork onto a spit rotissarie and BBQ on medium high heat. The meat is done when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
Alternatively, roast in an oven at 325 degrees F, basting with juices occaisionally.

Remove the trussing strings, slice and transfer to a serving platter.

This recipe is taken from Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking", pages 376 and 380.

Special Celebrations!

In 2006, our family celebrated with my mother on the occasion of her 80th birthday. The party will be remembered by many for years to come - the music, the friends, the relatives and of course, the food. In the picture from left to right: Gloria, Abigail (my niece), Helena (my sister), Al Jr (my nephew), Bertha (my Mom) and Matthew (my nephew). When it was all over, we could only say or sing to each other "Wasn't that a party?"

The buffet dinner was highlighted by two barbequed, herb marinated roast pork tenderloins. The special combination of spices in this marinate makes the roast pork succulent and once you have tasted it, you will be back for more.

Double pork tenderloins are best served to large groups and make a great addition to buffet spreads - keep this in mind for your next backyard wedding, family re-union or holiday get-together with family and friends.

Recipe #20 Maple Pecan Pie

1 cup maple syrup
2/3 cup white sugar
1/4 cup melted butter or becel
3 eggs
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup pecan halves

Combine all ingredients except pecans in a bowl. Beat with a rotary beater until smooth.
Pour into unbaked pie shell. Sprinkle with pecan halves.
Bake at 375 degrees F for 45 to 50 minutes. Enjoy!

Maple Syrup is truly Canadian!

Maple syrup is a staple in most Canadian kitchens. My first memory of tasting maple syrup was at the home of my grandparents in Dokis Bay. Making maple syrup in the springtime provided a winter supply of syrup for baking, candymaking as well as an alternative to sugar. This was very important in the early days of Canadian homelife. Today, we continue to enjoy maple syrup on our pancakes and waffles. Maple syrup also adds a special touch to many other recipes like the one I am featuring today - Maple Pecan Pie!

If you would like to learn more about history of Maple Syrup, please visit the following website:

http://www.ontariomaplesyrup.com/time_line.html

Recipe #19 Coq Au Vin

2 1/2 to 3 pounds cut-up frying chicken, skin on and thoroughly dried
4 ounces lean thick-cut bacon
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup cognac
3 cups red wine (Pinot Noir, Burgundy, Beaujolais or Chianti)**
1 cup homemade chicken stock or low-sodium chicken stock or broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, mashed or minced
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon thyme
Brown-Braised Onions
Button Mushrooms
3 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter, softened
Parsley sprigs

Dry chicken thoroughly in a towel. Season chicken with salt and pepper; set aside.
Remove any rind off the bacon and cut the bacon into lardons (rectangles 1/4-inch across and 1-inch long). In a saucepan, simmer the bacon sticks in 2 quarts of water for 10 minutes; remove from heat, drain, rinse in cold water, and pat dry.
In a large heavy bottom casserole dish, over medium heat, heat olive oil until moderately hot. Add the bacon and saute slowly until they are lightly browned. Remove bacon to a side dish. Place chicken pieces into the hot oil (not crowding pan), and brown on all sides. Return bacon to the pan, cover pan, and cook slowly for 10 minutes, turning chicken once.
After browning the chicken, uncover pan, pour in the cognac. Flambé by igniting with a lighted match. Let flame a minute, swirling pan by its handle to burn off alcohol; extinguish with pan cover.
Pour the red wine into the pan and add just enough chicken broth to completely cover the chicken pieces. Stir in tomato paste, garlic, bay leaf, and thyme. Bring the liquid to a simmer, then cover pan, and simmer slowly for about 30 minutes or until the chicken meat is tender when pierced with a fork or an instant-read meat thermometer registers an internal temperature of 165 degrees
While the chicken is cooking, prepare the Brown-Braised Onions and the Mushrooms.
When the chicken is done cooking, remove from the pan to a platter, leaving the cooking liquid in the pan. Increase heat to high and boil the cooking liquid rapidly until approximately 2 cups of liquid remains.
While the liquid is boiling, in a small bowl, blend the 3 tablespoons flour and 2 tablespoons softened butter into a smooth paste; beat the flour/butter mixture into the approximately 2 cups hot cooking liquid with a whisk. Simmer and stir for a minute or two until the sauce has thickened (the result will be a sauce thick enough to lightly coat a spoon - just thick enough to coat the chicken and vegetables lightly). If sauce is too thin, boil down rapidly to concentrate; if sauce is too thick, thin out with additional spoonfuls of chicken stock. Taste the final sauce, adding more salt and pepper if necessary.
Before serving, reheat the onions and mushrooms (if necessary).
Storing: Chicken is now ready for final reheating, but can be set aside in the sauce until cool, then covered and refrigerated for 1 to 2 days. To reheat, simmer slowly, covered, over low heat. Baste and turn chicken every 2 minutes until thoroughly warmed through (6 to 8 minutes). NOTE: Do not overcook chicken at this point.
To serve: Either serve from the casserole dish or arrange the chicken on a large platter. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Arrange the Brown-Braised Onions on one side of the chicken and the Mushrooms on the other side. Decorate with sprigs of parsley.
Makes 4 to 6 servings

Cooking with Wine!

Choosing a wine to cook with is really critical to the outcome of your cooking. Just as finding a good butcher can enhance your cooking, choosing the appropriate wine will improve the end product and produce a meal you can very proud to serve to any guest. Your dish will taste only as good as the ingredients you put into it - including your wine choice.
Dispelling the myth that cheap wine is all you need for cooking, requires first hand trial and error. I recommend you choose the wine type recommended for the recipe - its does not have to be the most expensive but it should not be the cheapest on the shelf.
If you are not a wine drinker, then choose the recommended type of wine given in the recipe - such as Cabernet, Sauvignon or Beaujolais. These names generally refer to the region that the wines originally comes from. The LCBO is often divided by country, so you can find wine types from Italy, Greece, or France. The second important aspect is the sugar content in the wine and this is also provided at the store - usually between 0 to 4, from no sugar to very sweet.
Take your time and choose wisely!

Recipe #18 Boeuf Bourguignon

For 6 people

A 6 ounce chunk of bacon - remove rind and cut bacon into lardons (sticks 1/4 inch thick and 1 1/2 inches long). Simmer rind and bacon for 10 minutes in 6 cups of water. Drain and pat dry.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Saute the bacon in 1 tbsp of olive oil over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Set aside.

Cut the beef into 2 inch cubes - use a lean well marbled Rump pot roast

Dry the beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Saute a few pieces at a time, in the hot oil and bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the bacon.

1 sliced carrot, 1 sliced onion

In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. Pour out the sauteing fat.

1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 2 Tb flour

Return the beef and bacon to a 9 x 12 fireproof casserole dish 3 inches deep.

Toss with salt and pepper. Sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly with the flour. Set casserole uncovered in middle position of preheated oven for 4 minutes. Toss the meat and return to oven for 4 minutes more. This browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust. Remove casserole, and turn oven down to 325 degrees.

3 cups full bodies red wine (Beaujolais)
3 cups beef stock
1 TB tomato paste
2 cloves mashed garlic
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
Stir in the wine and enough broth so that the meat is barely covered. Add tomato paste, garlics, herbs. Bring to simmer on top of the stove and cover with bacon rind. Then returned covered casserole to the lower third of preheated oven. Regulate heat so liquid simmers very slowly for 3 to 4 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily. The bacon rind will prevent the beef from floating to the surface.

While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms. Set aside until needed.
24 small white onions, brown braised in stock.
1 lb of small button mushrooms sauted in butter or becel.

When meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan. Wash out the casserole and return the beef and bacon to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms over the meat.
Skim fat off the sauce. Simmer sauce for a minute or two skimming off addtional fat as it rises. You should have about 2 1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly.

Cover the casserole and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times. Serve in its casserole or arrange the stew on a platter surrounded with potatoes, noodles or rice and decorate with parsley.

Winter at the cottage!

Cooking in the winter can be exciting. Think of warm soups, stews and hot dishes that will melt away the cold winter. Better yet, think about enjoying these delicious foods at a cottage. I can see it now - a snow covered lake, the smell of dinner as I set the table, reading a great book, playing board games and watching a classic movie in front of a fire.

A classic dinner to take to the cottage can be prepared ahead of time allowing more leisure time when you get there. This week's classic meal is taken from the Mastering the Art of French Cooking - Beouf Bourguignon. Using a combination of celery, carrots, onions and shallots keeps this dish simple but absolutely delicious - the beef will melt in your mouth. As Julia recommends, "the better the meat, the better the stew". Rump Pot Roast is our first choice, so it's time to visit your favourite butcher and get started!

On our last visit to a cottage, we made this recipe ahead of time. We had a great time, a great meal and our guests were Kern's brother, Norm and his wife Janey from North Bay. Norm is a great cook also, so sharing this meal with them was fun and memorable as our get togethers always are.......

Recipe #17 Double baked potatoes

Wash and scrub 6 medium sized baking potatoes.
Prick each potato and cover with a light coating of olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake for 25 to 20 minutes depending on the size of potatoes.

Cut the potatoes in half, lengthwise, then scoop out the insides into a mixing bowl. Put the skins aside on a baking sheet.

To the steaming potatoes add 1/2 cup of sour creme, 2 tbsp of butter or becel, salt and pepper. Mash the potato mixture. Add your favourite fresh herbs like chives, parsley or rosemary.

In another bowl, prepare a mixture of grated cheese - aged cheddar, monterey jack and mozzarella.

Put the potato mixture back into the skins and cover with the cheese mixture. Return to the oven and bake until the cheese is bubbly.

Double baked potatoes make a great addition to any meal - grilled pork chops, steaks, or chicken. These potatoes can be prepared ahead of time and baked just in time to serve.

Back to the Basics

To start off the new year, I am going back to the basics - wholesome but healthy food like potatoes.

There are many varieties and types of potatoes in the supermarket. The latest are the fingerling potatoes. We grew this variety in our garden this past summer and loved them. Fingerling potatoes are kown for their exceptional taste.

Potatoes are interesting as well......did you know that there are "5000 different varieties of potatoes" and that they were "the first vegetable to be grown in space back in 1995"

http://www.all-about-potatoes.com/index.html